Kentlands merchants want help luring back business

Controversy surrounds rebranding district as Kentlands Downtown'

The Kentlands Downtown Partnership, a group of merchants, residents and business owners, is unhappy with the city's plans for using $50,000 in capital funds to improve the area.

A new group of businesses and property owners, developers and residents is exploring difficulties facing the Kentlands business community and seeking city leaders' help in bringing business back.

The Kentlands Downtown Partnership wants to see the commercial district as well-travelled as Washingtonian Center, Rockville Town Center and Fallsgrove Village Center, said president Paula Ross. The group is unhappy with the way the city plans to spend a long-awaited $50,000.

"We understand that times are tough and that the city has just lost money from the state," Ross said. "We need some cooperation that that the city can provide at little or no cost — and that we have been promised for a while."

City leaders were due to discuss the issues after The Gazette deadline Tuesday.

The partnership, which held its first meeting July 30, is an outgrowth of Kentlands Citizens' Assembly advisory committee spurred by the rapid shuttering of more than 20 businesses. The city's fiscal 2010 budget includes $50,000 to improve the commercial district.

An Aug. 17 memorandum from Planning and Code Administration Director Greg Ossont shows that city officials disagreed with a number of requests.

One request was to rebrand the district as "Kentlands Downtown," a recommendation from the Kentlands development planning process the city led in 2007.

Calling the district a "downtown" could cause confusion, Ossont's memo said. Olde Towne is considered the city center and highway signs point in that direction.

Moreover, rebranding could cause problems for Kentlands' largest property owners who market their retail centers as Market Square and Kentlands Square.

Merchants also asked that the city provide signs highlighting Main Street shops and showing parking, name traffic circles, add street lighting and allot beautification funds.

Ossont's memo agreed to allow beautification projects but said "it is not reasonable for the city to take on the full responsibility of installing streetscape features or incur the entire cost."

Within five years, the merchants hoped to see permanent signs advertising Kentlands Downtown on Great Seneca Highway and Interstate 270, a concrete management plan for the district and hiring of a company knowledgeable about creating enduring mixed-use projects. And, they wanted the city to implement key recommendations from the 2007 charrette on pedestrian safety, long-term parking and active recruiting of businesses.

Ossont said Friday that the city does not contribute to advertising budgets for private commercial areas — and that staffing requests are not feasible.

Ross has pointed to city employee Cindy Hines, who has worked as Olde Towne Coordinator since 2001. She works 30 hours per week and earns about $39,000 annually.

The Kentlands commercial district has the highest per-square-foot rents in the city and probably the lowest vacancy, said Assistant City Manager Tony Tomasello.